HOME > Basketball

Only 2.3 times! A career-low record: This is exactly the reason why KD chose the Rockets!

6:05pm, 6 November 2025【Basketball】

Time goes back to the offseason. As the biggest star on the market in the summer of 2025, Kevin Durant made the decision to leave the Phoenix Suns, where he had played for more than two seasons. By then, many teams, including the Spurs, Warriors, Timberwolves, and Rockets, had made offers to the league's top star. However, after weighing the pros and cons, Durant finally chose the young and energetic team in Houston! The Houston Rockets used Dillon, Jaylen Green and 6 draft picks to acquire Durant. After being eliminated by the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs last season, the Rockets management learned the hard way and discovered the team's offensive problems. Durant's arrival happened to perfectly fill this fatal shortcoming of the team. After acquiring Durant, the Rockets management was not satisfied. They successively introduced DFS, Capela, and Okogie to strengthen the team's lineup. At the same time, they renewed the three core contracts of VanVleet, Adams, and Ja Smith Jr., coupled with Shen Jing, Amen, Ethan, and Shepard. The team's core lineup system was completed, and it became the favorite to compete for the championship!

However, the Rockets suffered a heavy blow before the game started. The team's point guard VanVleet suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during training in the Bahamas. This injury requires at least 9 months of recovery time and is reimbursed for the season ahead of schedule. This completely disrupted the Rockets' plan. The team had to urgently arrange for Amen to adjust his position to play the No. 1 position! As soon as the new season started, the Rockets faced the defending champion Thunder. Although the Rockets relied on their tenacious defense to force the defending champion into double overtime, the problem of insufficient organizational ability at critical moments was infinitely magnified. Unfortunately, they lost the game and suffered a bad start. In the second game in team history, the Eastern Conference youth team Pistons once again lost in the same way. In this game, the Rockets had no system at all on offense. Apart from singles or singles, many people believed that this team must complete the lineup through transactions. Udoka directly revitalized the team by using Okogie as the starting No. 2 position. Amen Thompson can save a lot of energy on the defensive end, and his role on the offensive end has increased dramatically!

After losing two games in a row at the start of the season, the Rockets went on to win four games in a row, ranking fifth in the Western Conference! Udoka's move to the starting lineup for Okogie was the finishing touch, but the core change of this team is the acquisition of Durant. After acquiring Durant, the Rockets' improvement on the offensive end was too obvious, at least two levels higher than last season! After 6 games, the Rockets averaged 124.8 points per game, second in the league, and ranked first in the league in offensive efficiency of 123.2. You must know that last season, the Rockets averaged only 104 points per game, an increase of 20.8 points! In addition, the Rockets ranked second in the league with 49.3 rebounds, ranked first in the league with 34 free throws per game, and ranked first in the three-point field goal percentage at 42.5%. This series of offensive data proves that the Rockets have become a top offensive team. They no longer rely solely on defense to win. The offensive firepower is first-rate and can also cause damage. This is especially important in the playoffs. The main reason for all this is due to their acquisition of Durant!

Durant has played in all 6 games of the Rockets so far this season, averaging 35.7 minutes per game, scoring 26.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1 block. He shot 51% from the field, 36% from the three-point range, and 87% from the free throw line. He is still the league's top scoring weapon. Among the five basic statistics, one statistic proves why Durant rejected the Warriors, Spurs, and Timberwolves and chose the Rockets. These statistics are assists. He only averaged 2.3 assists per game, which was a career low. You must know that Durant had 4.1 assists in his previous season with the lowest number of assists in his career. Why did this data drop to only 2.3 after coming to the Rockets? Because after coming to the Rockets, all Durant has to do is shoot. He just needs to finish with peace of mind when the ball is in his hands. Others can help him do other things. The most important thing is that Durant’s unlimited firing rights are due to the team’s tactics, not just playing.

So far this season, Durant has averaged 16 shots per game, ranking first in the team. For the first time in his career, there are no super teammates around him to compete with him for the right to take shots. Unexpectedly, Durant found the most suitable environment for him to perform at the end of his career. With a team of teammates around him who did the dirty work, he only had to throw the damn basketball into the basket. Not only that, when Durant was the main defender, his opponent's shooting percentage was only 37.3%, which ranked first in the team. Durant did not need to consider organization and only devoted all his energy to finishing shots and defending his opponent. He averaged only 2.3 assists per game, a career low record. This is exactly the reason why KD chose the Rockets! In short, Durant has come to a team that is very suitable for his performance. The season is still very long. As long as there are no major injury problems, they are likely to be the only team in the Western Conference that can challenge the Thunder. Durant also has a high probability of winning the championship again. What do you think? If you have any ideas, please leave a message in the comment area to discuss!

Mini-game recommendations:Hit Masters Rush